Jurrien Timber travelled back to the Netherlands to say goodbye to his Ajax teammates on Saturday after completing a medical with Arsenal.
Timber was spotted on the sidelines watching as Ajax drew 2-2 with FC Den Bosch in their first friendly of the pre-season on Saturday. His appearance came after he was in London on Friday to complete a medical ahead of a transfer to Arsenal.
The Gunners have agreed to pay Ajax €40million (£34.3m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in potential add-ons for the 22-year-old defender. He will become their second signing of the summer transfer window, following the £65m addition of Kai Havertz and preceding the £105m capture of top target Declan Rice.
Timber made 34 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax last season and has 15 caps for the Netherlands. While primarily a central defender, he is also capable of playing at right-back, which opens up possibilities for Mikel Arteta ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
That is one of the main reasons for Arsenal’s decision to sign him, according to former Netherlands centre-back Jaap Stam. “When you are a Dutch player and you have grown in a Dutch academy then people expect a lot from you, even when you are a defender in terms of carrying the ball," Stam told charleswatts.football. "He’s quick. He can play as a centre-back and as a right-back as well, so he’s very versatile."
Timber, who is right-footed, played as one of the Netherlands’ three centre-backs at the World Cup in Qatar. But the possibility of playing at right-back for Arsenal makes sense considering Oleksandr Zinchenko’s adaptability on the opposite flank.
Zinchenko is very comfortable stepping into midfield when Arsenal have the ball to change the angle of attack and cause overloads. Timber is a very modern player and could be used in a similar manner to how Pep Guardiola has used John Stones, should Arteta wish to use that ploy.
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Timber is very comfortable on the ball and completed 2,501 passes – 902 of which were forward – in the Eredivisie last season, both of which placed him first in the division. His signing opens up a realm of possibilities for Arteta, who could move Ben White back to centre-back.
Timber is a very ambitious player and has previously spoken of his desire to move abroad and test himself. “A transfer is getting closer and closer, so to speak,” he revealed to De Telegraaf in April. “There is a lot of concrete interest and I have made agreements with Ajax.
“Last year Ajax asked me to stay for at least one more season and to extend my contract. As a club boy, I did that with love and after the season we will review the situation. At the Dutch national team, I often talk to boys who play football abroad. I want to take that step someday.”
